Former Steelers GM reflects on Tom Brady draft: 'We and the rest of the NFL messed it'

Former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert was running that team's front office ahead of the 2000 NFL Draft and, thus, was one of the dozens of executives who passed on selecting quarterback Tom Brady multiple times before Brady landed with the New England Patriots via overall pick No. 199. 

Colbert understandably expressed regret during an appearance on the "North Catholic Athletics Podcast" about missing out on who became the G.O.A.T. signal-caller. 

"I always go back to my first year as a Steelers GM," Colbert explained, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "Tom Brady was picked in the sixth round. We took Tee Martin in the fifth round. I always say Tee Martin was a great fifth-round pick. When you draft in rounds one, two, three, those guys should usually be the starters. Rounds four and five, they're usually the backups. Six and seven, they're usually practice squad types."

In total, Martin appeared in three regular-season games and made zero starts during his NFL career. Brady, meanwhile, accumulated seven Super Bowl rings and became a five-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Perhaps more importantly as it pertains to the Steelers, TB12 beat Pittsburgh in AFC Championship Games on three occasions. 

"When you look back, obviously, we chased Brady for however many years he was in New England," Colbert added. "He was special. We and the rest of the NFL missed it. A lot of times people point out, you took Tee Martin. I say, 'Yeah we did.' And I loved Tee. Tee won a national championship at the University of Tennessee. And again, as a fifth-round pick, he was a really good fifth-round pick." 

Colbert mentioned that even the Patriots didn't know exactly what they had in Brady in the spring of 2000, because they otherwise "would've taken him with their first pick." Of course, Pittsburgh later spent a 2004 first-round draft choice on a different type of quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger's face may never be found on a Mount Rushmore of the greatest players in NFL history, but he did guide the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl titles during his Hall of Fame career.